French Verbs Ending in -GER and -CER

Lesson: Conjugating French Verbs Ending in -GER and -CER

Introduction

This lesson will focus on how to correctly conjugate French verbs ending in -GER and -CER. These verbs require specific modifications in their conjugations to maintain the correct pronunciation in the first person plural form.

Conjugating French Verbs Ending in -GER

Verbs that end in -GER, such as “manger” (to eat) and “voyager” (to travel), require an additional ‘e’ in the first person plural form (nous) in the present tense to maintain the soft ‘g’ sound [ʒ].

Rule: Insert an ‘e’ after the ‘g’ in the ‘nous’ form to preserve the pronunciation.

Examples:

Nous mangeons (We eat)  Nous voyageons (We travel)

List of Common -GER Verbs and Translations:

• abréger (to abbreviate)
• allonger (to extend)
• aménager (to arrange)
• arranger (to arrange)
• avantager (to favor)
• bouger (to move)
• changer (to change)
• corriger (to correct)
• décharger (to unload)
• décourager (to discourage)
• déranger (to disturb)
• diriger (to direct)
• échanger (to exchange)
• éponger (to mop up)
• juger (to judge)
• longer (to go along)
• manger (to eat)
• mélanger (to mix)
• nager (to swim)
• obliger (to oblige)
• partager (to share)
• plonger (to dive)
• protéger (to protect)
• ranger (to arrange)
• recharger (to recharge)
• ronger (to gnaw)
• venger (to avenge)
• voyager (to travel)

Conjugating Verbs Ending in -CER

For -CER verbs, a cédille (ç) is added under the ‘c’ in the ‘nous’ form in the present tense to maintain the soft ‘c’ sound [s].

Rule:
Add a cédille (ç) to the ‘c’ in the ‘nous’ form to preserve the pronunciation.
Examples:

Nous plaçons (We place)
Nous avançons (We advance)

List of Common -CER Verbs and Translations:

• avancer (to advance)
• coincer (to wedge)
• commencer (to begin)
• enfoncer (to sink)
• financer (to finance)
• foncer (to darken/to rush)
• forcer (to force)
• grimacer (to grimace)
• lancer (to throw)
• percer (to pierce)
• prononcer (to pronounce)
• saucer (to dip in sauce)
• tracer (to trace)

🍀 EXERCICE 🍀

🔷 Exercise 1: Fill in the Blanks

Conjugate the following verbs in the first person plural (nous) in the present tense:

1. Nous __________ (manger) des fruits.
2. Nous __________ (commencer) le projet.
3. Nous __________ (voyager) en France.
   Nous __________ (tracer) la route.

🔷 Exercise 2: Translate to French

Translate these sentences into French using the correct form of the verbs:

1. We judge the competition.
2. We share the cake.
3. We advance the plan.
4. We place the books on the shelf.

This thorough understanding of -GER and -CER verbs and their conjugations will enhance your fluency and confidence in using French accurately in both spoken and written forms. Practice regularly to master these essential verb forms.

Keywords : French Verbs Ending in -GER and -CER